February 4, 2010 - EarthFax Provides Emergency Response Engineering Services at an Oil Spill in Eastern Utah
On January 7, 2009 EarthFax Engineering, Inc. ("EarthFax") was requested by its client to mobilize to the Red Wash oil and gas field located approximately 28 miles southeast of Vernal, Utah to assist with emergency response activities related to a release of oil. The source of the release was a 3-inch diameter underground lateral crude line that had ruptured. Released oil rose to the ground surface and traveled overland in an ephemeral drainage for approximately 0.5 miles where it was stopped by two earthen dams that had been constructed by emergency response personnel. Following construction of the dams, vacuum trucks were mobilized to the site for several days to recover oil that accumulated upstream from the dams. However, the dams were breached when unusually warm winter temperatures and rainfall caused significant volumes of snowmelt and rainwater to accumulate behind the dams and break through them.
EarthFax assisted the client by delineating the boundaries of contamination and estimating the quantity of released oil, sampling the affected soils to adequately characterize the magnitude of contamination, and providing engineering design services for re-construction of the breached dams. Engineering design services for constructing a third downstream dam were also provided. This dam, constructed with underflow weirs and a bypass channel, served as a last line of defense until all of the affected soils could be removed from the drainage.
Once initial emergency response activities concluded, EarthFax evaluated the feasibility of various remediation alternatives for this remote site and eventually designed a bioremediation cell that included construction of a biocell, with passive aeration using wind-operated turbines. Approximately 9,200 cubic yards of excavated soils were amended with water and nutrients to enhance the efficiency of bioremediation. EarthFax provided oversight during excavation and construction of the treatment cell and continues to support the client by conducting quarterly sampling activities and serving as liaison to regulatory authorities. It is anticipated that target remediation goals will be achieved in 2012.
EarthFax Engineering, Inc. is a consulting engineering firm that was founded in 1982, with offices in Midvale, Utah. The firm provides services in the areas of civil engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydrology, geology, land reclamation, and environmental planning. Additional information regarding EarthFax can be found at www.earthfax.com.
